A rabbinical court in Jerusalem is being forced to resolve an issue of
growing importance in religious circles: "Is virtual sin the same as actual
sin?" At issue is whether a woman can divorce her husband because he committed
virtual adultery using a virtual reality entertainment that is readily available over the
Global Landscape.

"It's not only adultery that is at issue here," Rabbi Aaron
Levinsky, Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel, told reporters during a NewsNet
teleconference from his office in Jerusalem. "At issue is whether virtual murder,
virtual theft, virtual sins of every kind are of the same nature as actual murder, theft
and sin. I know that Christians, Moslems and others are wrestling with these same
issues."

The status of virtual sin is greatly complicated by the ruling that the
Rabbinical Court of Jerusalem handed down two years ago that made it perfectly legal from
the point of view of Jewish law (or halakah) to eat virtual pork. Negev Virtual
Entertainments (NVE) of Beer Sheba produced a virtual entertainment, Trayfe, which would
allow an observant Jew to eat forbidden foods such as pork, lobster and shrimp in virtual
reality. This entertainment artificially stimulated parts of the brain to simulate the
taste, texture, and smell of these foods that are forbidden by Jewish law. The Trayfe
computer program requires that the user eat some bland food, usually baked tofu, and the
virtual reality gear then stimulates the brain so that it thinks that the tofu is really
moo shoo pork or whatever.

The Rabbinical Court ruled that virtual pork is not the same as real
pork, and was not forbidden by the Torah or Five Books of Moses. Rabbi Levinksy defended
the court's decision when the decision was initially handed down: "In our view
virtual pork is totally permissible, has nothing to do with real pigs, and thus can be
enjoyed by Jews just as Jews have enjoyed mock pork made of wheat gluten for many
years."

Unfortunately, the Court's ruling left unresolved the issue of virtual
sin. If virtual pork is kosher, is virtual murder permissible as well? What about virtual
adultery or virtual theft? Is it okay for a Jew to steal in a virtual reality
entertainment? The Court had nothing to say about these issues until Rachel Cohen of
Jerusalem forced them to confront the issue last January.

Rachel Cohen requested a divorce from her husband on the grounds that he
repeatedly committed adultery using virtual reality entertainments that are available over
the Global Landscape. "Insofar as the psychological damage that has been done to
me," Mrs. Cohen told a news conference last January, "there is no difference
between virtual adultery and the real thing."

Gordon Weiss, a theologian at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New
York, believes that the Jerusalem Court will have to overturn its ruling on virtual pork
because they did not fully comprehend that virtual sin has a sinful component.
"Clearly, Mrs. Cohen should be granted a divorce at least on the grounds that her
husband is involved in pornography, which is immoral. Pornography is not consistent with
Jewish values and ethics. The situation with virtual reality becomes more interesting if
we consider other virtual sins, like virtual murder, that may not involve pornography. Is
it a sin to partake in a virtual reality entertainment in which you kill someone? Yes, I
think it may be a sin."

Reverend Sam Humble of the Princeton Theological Seminary agreed with
Rabbi Weiss. "Christ established a new standard, to the effect that hatred in the
heart was akin to actual murder. Lust in the heart was akin to actual adultery. On that
basis, I believe that these new entertainments are sinful because they promote the
inclination of the heart to sin. They promote lust and violence. Thus, I believe that
virtual sin is sin."

Rhoda Baker of the ACLU disagrees with Reverent Humble and Rabbi Weiss.
"There is no hard evidence that participating in virtual adultery leads one to commit
actual adultery or that committing a virtual murder leads one to commit an actual murder.
In fact, a recent study out of Stanford University indicates just the opposite, that
committing a virtual murder makes a person less prone to violence. Virtual murder provides
a healthy outlet for violent urges."

Chief Rabbi Levinsky hinted that he would like to move the Rabbinical
Court in the direction of evaluating virtual reality as a form of entertainment pure and
simple. "If the entertainment degrades human dignity, such as pornography does, then
it should be ruled unlawful. Virtual adultery is not adultery, but it is pornography. On
the other hand, it is not unlawful to read a novel in which a murder occurs. Thus, can we
make it unlawful to participate in a virtual reality drama in which you commit a murder
much as an actor might in a movie? This is a hazy area insofar as I am concerned. My
inclination is to rule that this is like pornography in that it demeans human dignity and
promotes violence. I need to hear what my rabbinical colleagues have to say on this
matter."

Ari Cohen, Rachel's husband, is now separated from his wife. He has
repeatedly expressed his anger towards her for making public his liking for virtual sex, a
disclosure that has nearly ruined his business as the owner of a religious bookstore.

Mr. Cohen defended his actions in this way. "One of the virtual
reality entertainments that I love is 'King of Israel', which portrays the life of King
David. The user of the system actually relives some of the adventures in the life of King
David, including his slaying of Goliath, David's escape from Saul, and, yes, his sins,
which included adultery and instigating the murder of his mistress' husband. Now, in
reliving the life of King David, I am not actually committing adultery, nor am I actually
plotting anyone's murder. So, I do not see how my virtual sins, can be compared in nature
even to the actual sins of the historic King David, who is considered one of the great
Jewish heroes of all time."

Rabbi Levinsky found Ari Cohen's remarks offensive. "King David was
a righteous man who repented of his sins. If Mr. Cohen wants to relive the experience of
King David he should repent of his sins, abandon these silly entertainments, and devote
more time to the study of Torah and religion. I would find Mr. Cohen's argument more
convincing if he could compose a virtual Book of Psalms."